FAO Paul Smith and ABD members

[Mannginger]

Whilst perusing the land of Transport 2000 in the aim of trying to understand ones enemy I came across these little gems of thoughtful writing in their Christmas "Transport Retort" magazine:

Transport 2000 on Paul Smith said:

Words that paint a thousand pictures PAUL Smith, one of the ABD’s closest friends, has been issuing legal threats to anyone who repeats his words back at him. He told the Guardian recently he planned to sue it over the statement: “But Mr Smith’s views have caused controversy – he has also questioned the logic of disabled parking spaces and he has suggested that on one straight road near his home in Scotland, it is safe to drive at 150mph.” Even Transport 2000 has been sent a “I shall take great pleasure in informing my lawyers. I shall leave it to them to decide upon appropriate action” message. This followed an entry on the Transport 2000 website message board that read: “I recommend anyone who sees Smith’s rubbish printed anywhere to question whether Smith has any road safety training and why he makes light of death threats made against the leader of Brake and claims that it is safe to drive at 150mph on a road near his house.” But transcripts of Paul Smith’s conversations on disabled parking provision in internet chat rooms make the most interesting reading. Try the following for size: _“Personally I don’t see why disabled folk should get special treatment [for parking].” _“How much has to be wrong with my legs before I get a specially designated parking space?” _“If it goes on like this we’ll just have to cripple everyone to bring them down to the level of the disabled – it’s only fair.” _“I know full well it’s not ‘politically correct’ to question (dubious) ‘rights’ given to disabled people, but I don’t give a damn about political correctness.” Perhaps with Christmas coming, and the coffee table book market therefore buoyant, someone should publish a special collection of Paul Smithisms to bring festive cheer to all road users seated around the Christmas tree on Christmas morning.

Transport 2000 on ABD Members said:

Conspiracy? What conspiracy? MARILYN Monroe, JFK and Diana and Dodi were all killed by ‘secret service’ agents controlled by invisible political forces working to a cloak-and dagger agenda. The US government once recovered alien bodies from a crashed flying saucer at Roswell, New Mexico, but hid them to avoid headlines in the newspapers. Jack the Ripper was really a heavily disguised Queen Victoria, but it was all hushed up by ‘the establishment’, which instead blamed all the murders on lonely bachelors who were just outside for a cigarette. Conspiracy theories have been around for a long time but recent research by Chris French, Professor at the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at the University of London, gives real insight into the sort of people who invent them and back them. People who believe in one conspiracy theory tend to believe in others, the research found. This tendency is correlated with a lack of interpersonal trust and insecurity about employment. Conspiracy theorists often view themselves as victims and agree with statements like “the situation of the average person is getting worse”. They believe that things happen to them, not as the result of their own actions, but due to the actions of mysterious and powerful ‘others’. At last! Scientific explanation for the behaviour of members of the Association of British Drivers! It all fits... They believe that speed cameras are nothing to do with road safety but a fund raising ruse run by the police, perhaps to raise money for their Christmas party. They also maintain that Transport 2000 is funded exclusively by bus and train companies and that’s the reason why the organisation wants to get more people using public transport. And ABD members seem to be convinced that so-called climate change is a grand global conspiracy involving governments, scientists and environmentalists to ‘keep the people down’ or enforce ‘politically correct behaviour’. Is there any cure for the conspiracy theory disease? Well, no medical cure but members of the ABD and other like-minded people would probably do well to spend less time watching Channel 5, reading science-fiction and standing at bars in run-down pubs, and more time relaxing, eating the right food and being at one with their surroundings. An evening class in flower arranging or yoga would be a very good start.

Nice to know that they are

A) Keeping an eye on what's being said on internet fora - don't forget this folks as they evidently believe everything they see written down as being gospel (Mary Williams reference again!)

B) Thinking about you all in such a caring sharing way - Yoga and flower arranging - go on you know you want to!

Source is here: www.transport2000.org.uk/

Cheers

Phil

[turbobloke]

"First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win" Mahatma Gandhi

[Don]

Do you know - our IAM group uses some of Paul's work in our road safety lectures.

Its all about safety and saving lives - just with some major disagreement on how to do it!


Dear oh dear - toys, pram etc etc

[supraman2954]

T2000 talks about ABD

T2000 talks about SafeSpeed

How about T2000 talks about Pistonheads

T2000 said:

Pistonheads, a website that is said to have carried death threats against Mary Williams, leader of road safety campaign Brake.

T2000 continue to spout this crap despite:
www.pistonheads.com/news/default.asp?storyId=7772


>> Edited by supraman2954 on Friday 8th April 08:53

[JMGS4]

I note that these cynical swine T2000 have removed their sponsors list?!?!!?!?! Wonder why??? perhaps it has something to do with at least 100 firms I know of who refuse to do business with any of their sponsors due to their affiliation with these quasi-green slimeballs! My companies are some of these 100 who refuse to deal with such sponsors and have written to inform them as to why we are withdrawing our custom and giving it to companies whose morals are not of the standard of a guttersnipe!

[Flat in Fifth]

Mannginger said:

And ABD members seem to be convinced that so-called climate change is a grand global conspiracy involving governments, scientists and environmentalists to ‘keep the people down’ or enforce ‘politically correct behaviour’.

Perhaps we should send them a copy of Michael Crichton's latest book State of Fear.

One of the characters in the book argues that this is exactly what is happening. That people are controlled by fear. The fear used to be "the other side" as in Cold War it was the Russkies and equally they feared us for example.

Now that source of fear is gone and so the fear is provided by the fear of safety or should I say perceived lack of it rather than the actual risks.

Very well researched and argued book, which has genuine scientific references peppered throughout as footnotes. OK so it is essentially a work of fiction, but one which discusses the issues relating to global warming theory and what are actually the facts and what are perceptions. A thundering good read, as they say. Recommended.

[domster]

Apparently, we're 'mad motorists'.



Ironically, paranoia is a mental illness that Transport 2000 seem to suffer from.

[puggit]

Interesting that these 'death threats' are resurfacing recently - while the motorists are gaining the forward momentum!

Brake and T2000 are spouting a lot more manure suddenly. It must mean that good progress is being made

[domster]

It should be pointed out at this stage (as journalists in search of sensational stories may log into PH for quotes) that the 'death threats' were lighthearted comments made for humorous consumption in the spirit of an emotionally charged and enthusiastic motoring forum. It was laughable that they were taken seriously.

It was like Stu Francis saying 'ooh, I could crush a grape' and then the Grape Protection League asking for an enquiry into Stu Francis's treatment of grapes.

Absolutely pathetic.

When Safespeed made light of these comments, (as the police would have done too, as they pursued the allegation and found no substance to the claim), he was then accused of not treating them as a serious matter. Well he wouldn't do, would he? Because they weren't a serious matter.

I'm amazed that no-one has been prosecuted for wasting Police time, quite frankly.

[BliarOut]

I would love to see T2000 set up an open and unedited forum They wouldn't dare, as people would just rubbish them in seconds.

I notice how they have the same control freakish style as Labour... Personally, I think the transport 1600 spoof had them down to a T

[judas]

Absolutely Domster!

The fact that they keep bringing them up and insisting they were serious simply indicated the level of desperation on their side.

[zumbruk]

JMGS4 said:

I note that these cynical swine T2000 have removed their sponsors list?!?!!?!?! Wonder why???

Because it mkes it obvious that they are a lobby group for the Public Transport operators, and have no public mandate whatsoever. All they are interested in is keeping their snouts well and truly jammed in the publically funded trough, and driving motorists out of their cars and onto their "services", with legislative whips if necessary.

Absolutely nothing that T2K says has any validity, other than to shareholders of First Group and their like.

[MilnerR]

zumbruk said:

First Group and their like.

When even the liberal media start to question the motives and attitudes behind such orgainsations as T2000 it illustrates how weak their postion is!

T2000: You have to look at reality and form a reasoned opinion, as opposed to forming an opinion and then trying to convince the rest of the world that reality is at fault!

>> Edited by MilnerR on Friday 8th April 10:51

[turbobloke]

Transport 2000 said:

so-called climate change is a grand global conspiracy involving governments, scientists and environmentalists to ‘keep the people down’ or enforce ‘politically correct behaviour’

Absolutely spot on. Man-made global warming is the biggest con trick ever to be perpetrated on the world's population. Speed kills is a close second. Well said T2k

[MR2Mike]

MilnerR said:

T2000: You have to look at reality and form a reasoned opinion, as opposed to forming an opinion and then trying to convince the rest of the world that reality is at fault!

T2000's idea of forming a reasoned opinion is to put their fingers into their collective ears and chant "la la la not listening, speed kills, motorists are bad"

They do appear to be reaching Nazi levels of anti-motorist propaganda and disinformation. Clearly election time is causing them some sphincter control issues.

[stooz]

t2000 said:

to question whether Smith has any road safety training

weird. checked the entire site, and I couldn't find anything toi suggest they had training?

isnt that a pot calling the kettle a colour that means its the same thing?
I think they have spent too much time talking to politicians who don't give the answer to the question they were asked...

[zumbruk]

BTW, T2K is made up of the following organisations;

Arriva
ASLEF
Civic Trust
Community Transport Association
Council for National Parks
CPRE
CPRW
CTC
Cycle Campaign Network
English Welsh and Scottish Railway
Environmental Transport Association Trust
Environment Council
First Group
Friends of the Earth
GMB
Go Ahead Group
Green Liberal Democrats
Light Rail Transit Association
Living Streets (Pedestrians’ Association)
MSF
National Council for Inland Transport
National Express Group
National Federation of Bus Users
National Federation of Women’s Institutes
National Trust
Public Enterprise Group
Railfuture
Railway Industry Association
Ramblers’ Association
RSPB
SERA
Stagecoach
Sustrans
TCPA
Townwomen’s Guilds
Transport for London
TSSA
UNIFI
UNISON
Virgin
The Wildlife Trusts
WWF UK
YHA

Virtually every one has a vested interest in being anti-car.

[turbobloke]

stooz said:

weird. checked the entire site, and I couldn't find anything toi suggest they had training?

Ah, you forgot Michael Palin - he has a History degree from Oxford and was in Monty Python. What more do you need?

[Don]

zumbruk said:

BTW, T2K is made up of the following organisations; RSPB

Blimey! I must make representation to the buggers about this. How do they think birdwatchers get to Wildlife reserves - which, by there very nature, are isolated and are not served by public transport?

IN THEIR CAR!

Hmmph! I know I'm probably a somewhat atypical RSPB member BUT - if they want to keep me they'd better withdraw from T2K!

[Zod]

transport2000 said:

Pistonheads, a website that is said to have carried death threats against Mary Williams, leader of road safety campaign Brake.

I bet Ted is delighted by that.